Top Five Must-visit Destinations in Can Tho, Mekong Delta

Sailing down the Cuu Long River, a beautiful and peaceful landscape will appear before the eyes of tourists. 170 kilometers away from Ho Chi Minh city, Cần Thơ is the fifth largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city in the Mekong Delta.It is beautifully carved with floating market, rice paper-making village, and picturesque rural canals.

And when you already set foot in this land, these top five destinations should not be missed out:

1/ Ninh Kiều Pier (Bến Ninh Kiều)

Ninh Kiều Pier is located on the bank of Hau River, a tributary of the Mekong River, and close to the centre of the city. The pier is the city’s main trading centre where hundreds of boats plying the river, bringing products from the rest of the Delta region. In the nearby area and along the river are there Ninh Kiều Pier Park and more excitingly, Ninh Kiều Night Market to fill the hungry bellies of visitors.

Photo: tinnhanh.us

2/ Cái Răng Floating Market (Chợ nổi Cái Răng)

When it comes to Can Tho, people tend to think of cruising on a boat and enjoying many countryside sceneries passing by. Embarking at Ninh Kieu pier, tourists will indulge themselves in the coolness of river breeze in the early morning, and the fullness of fruit-laden trees along both sides of the river. At the end of the cruise, the boat will stop at a very special destination which is unique to the region criss-crossed by channels as Can Tho – Cái Răng Floating Market.

The special point of the market lies on trading activities taking place on narrow boats. A buyer just needs to look at the bamboo poles in front of each boat which hang samples of what it is selling, and then calls the seller if they want to buy it. The boat of the seller will approach the boat of the buyer for trade. Tourists can even enjoy such delicious dishes as bun rieu, hu tieu (a kind of noodles), and che (a kind of sweet dessert).

Photo: saigontourist

3/ Bình Thủy Ancient House (Nhà cổ Bình Thuỷ)

Located about five kilometres from downtown Cần Thơ, Bình Thuỷ Ancient House is designed as a combination of the architecture of Vietnam and France. Besides, outside of the house is there a garden with various flowers and fruits, including a wide range of orchids and a record cactus. The French-style house was built in 1870 by the Dương family on an area of nearly 6,000 square meters.

Address: 26/1A Bùi Hữu Nghĩa Street, Bình Thuỷ Ward, Cần Thơ.

Photo: tintucmientay.com.vn

4/ Munir Ansay Pagoda (Chùa Munir Ansay)

Built in 1948, Munir Ansay Pagoda is the oldest and biggest Khmer pagoda in Can Tho. Its architecture is imbued with Khmer national identity with colorful pyramidal domes. The spacious yard creates a peaceful feeling for a visitor in spite of being in the center of the city. Annually, Munir Ansay pagoda organizes several big festivals such as Chol Chnam Thmay – New Year Holiday (March 13-15th in lunar calendar), Ok-Om-Bok – Bringing water festival (October in lunar calendar), Donta – Ancestor worship (August in lunar calendar), etc.

Address: 36 Hòa Bình Avenue, Cần Thơ City.

Photo: didaudo.vn

5/ Giàn Gừa relic site (Khu di tích Giàn Gừa)

Giàn Gừa is a big trellis of 150-year-old Gừa heritage tree. Now, the tree has trellis over 2.700m² of wide and 12m of height. Rooted from local belief, villagers used to construct a small temple to worship a Goddess called Thượng Động Cố Hỉ to express their respect and gratefulness to her as a protector of the village. Besides, it was the place to hide weapons, documents, to train, gather and transfer liberation army in the past. Many important meetings of The Southwest Area of Can Tho Committee Province were also held there.